Organic Agriculture Soil Health Research Symposium

Project Director

Diana Jerkins

Year Funded

2017

Award Number

2017-51300-26851

Funded Institution

Organic Farming Research Foundation

Grant Program

OREI (Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative)

Project Overview

This Conference grant supported an Organic Agriculture Soil Health Research Symposium (OASHRS) held on October 25, 2017 as a special session within the 2017 Tri-Societies meetings in Tampa, FL. The Symposium included eight research presentations, posters, and a research needs panel discussion, and was designed to facilitate information exchange among researchers, students, farmers, service providers, and other stakeholders.

Oral presentations featured the PASA soil health benchmark study, reduced tillage for organic vegetable crops, mycorrhizal inoculation, the Albrecht system of soil balancing, organic approaches to soil health, organic nitrogen management, and a comparison of organic grain, forage, and low-input pasture systems in a long-term trial at University of Wisconsin. The information shared at the 2017 Tri-Societies event is available in live recordings, session abstracts, and Proceedings. Additional presentations were given at several conferences in 2018 including the American Society for Horticultural Science, Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Farmer Takeaways

(1) The four NRCS soil health principles – keep soil covered, maximize living roots, increase biodiversity, and minimize disturbance – align well with best organic practices that minimize chemical disturbance and avoid excessive tillage.
(2) Healthy soils grow healthy crops, and healthy crops build healthy soils, even in routinely tilled organic systems.
(3) Shallow tillage (4”) and no-till with preplant opaque tarping for weed control can give organic vegetable yields similar to full tillage.
(4) Heavy use of compost can build soil phosphorus to excess; cover crops and tight, diverse rotations with lower compost rates can build soil organic matter.
(5) Peer-to-peer and farmer-scientist learning networks can help organic farmers put research into practice to improve their soils and production systems.

Project Outputs

Live Broadcast: Organic Soil Health Research Special Session at the Tri-Societies Conference | eOrganic